catch
/kæt͡ʃ/ verb A1- To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). · I hope I catch a fish.· He ran but we caught him at the exit.
- To entrap or trip up a person; to deceive.
- To marry or enter into a similar relationship with.
- To reach (someone) with a strike, blow, weapon etc. · If he catches you on the chin, you'll be on the mat.
- To overtake or catch up to; to be in time for. · If you leave now you might catch him.· I would love to have dinner but I have to catch a plane.
- To discover and observe (someone or something while it takes some action or exists) (sometimes, but not always, with implications of 'unpleasantly' or 'unexpectedly'). · He was caught in the act of stealing a biscuit.
- To record, for example on film or tape. · It's the very first time such an elusive bird has been caught on film.· He was caught on video robbing the bank.
- To travel by means of. · catch the bus
Plural catch · He/she/it catches · Past caught · Past participle caught · -ing form catching
Verb forms
- Base form
- catch
- He/she/it
- catches
- Past
- caught
- Past participle
- caught
- -ing form
- catching
An irregular verb: learn its past and past participle by heart.
Phrasal verbs and expressions
From the library
However, there came a day when I forgot to do this, and, being caught in a rainstorm, before I thought of the danger my joints had rusted, and I was left to stand in the woods until you came to help me.
As it was, the jar made her catch her breath and wonder what had happened; and Toto put his cold little nose into her face and whined dismally.
“For,” he said, “if I should get caught in the rain, and rust again, I would need the oil-can badly.”
A Cat, discovering this, made her way into it and began to catch and eat them one by one.
Other matches
Learn catch in real texts
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